Fever Celebrate "Christmas in July"

INDIANAPOLIS – This summer over 14,000 toys will be donated to the children of families affected by the March tornadoes in the Henryville area and to the community service mission served by the Cadets of the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy of the Indiana National Guard by the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, in partnership with leading U.S. toy and consumer products company, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. The effort is supported by the Indiana National Guard in a project called, "Christmas in July."

"Through my friendship with Stephen Berman, of JAKKS Pacific, I have come to know he is a very generous and giving person who cares deeply about people," said Herb Simon, owner of the Pacers and Fever. "We are so grateful to Stephen and JAKKS Pacific for this opportunity to help bring some happiness to the families in the southern Indiana and to the worthy Cadets of the Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy."

"Our partnership with Herb Simon and the Pacers and Fever is a very special one for us," said Stephen Berman, CEO and President of JAKKS Pacific. "We are excited to work together with Herb, the Pacers and the Fever this summer to help families affected by the tornadoes in Indiana."

"We are grateful for the kindness and generosity of the Pacers, the Indiana National Guard and JAKKS Pacific for brightening the lives of so many children in the communities of Jefferson, Washington and Clark counties," said Mary Sullivan, Vice Chair of the March 2 Recovery, an assistance group in southern Indiana established to help Hoosiers affected by last spring’s tornadoes. "We would also like to offer a special thanks to the Pacers and the National Guard for their immediate help and support that started the day after the tornado and has been consistent throughout our recovery process."

"We are pleased to accept these toys on behalf of the hardworking Cadets at our Hoosier Youth Challenge Academy," said Maj. General R. Martin Umbarger, the Adjutant General of Indiana. "We thank our friends at JAKKS and our dear friends from the Pacers and Fever. They once again hit the game-winning shot by providing our Cadets the resources needed to help the children in Henryville, Marysville and the other towns devastated by the tornadoes in March."

General Umbarger and Sullivan headed a group to accept the toys at the National Guard’s Stout Field Thursday along with tornado survivors Darrell and Trish Gilles and their three children from Henryville and two children from a family in Marysville. Representing the Pacers were Pacers PS&E COO Rick Fuson, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, Fever head coach Lin Dunn and team mascots Boomer and Freddy Fever.

JAKKS Pacific, one of the top five United States toy companies, is a California-based company that has been designing, developing, producing and marketing toys and consumer products for children and adults around the world since 1995. JAKKS Cares is the philanthropic arm of JAKKS Pacific and since inception has donated over $50 million in toys, school supplies and monetary endowments to millions of underprivileged children around the world.